{ How to run a one-man magazine show }

Kai Brach is founder and publisher of indie mag Offscreen, a print book about the tech world. On its website, Brach blogs often about magazine making in a much more informed and succinct manner than I. He also gives talks on his process, and I’ll dissect one because I listened to it this morning and loved every minute.

Things he does that are different and/or practical and/or rad

Make a spreadsheet of the content plan! Ah, if only I could zoom into that video.

Use Google Docs as people enter their contributions.

Make a calm, sophisticated, thoughtful, approachable and friendly layout, to counter the hyperlinked world of the Offscreen audience.

Use 100% recycled paper! It even has woody debris?

Replace advertising with unified sponsorships. A reader told him they read every single word of the magazine, including the advertisements. Brill. Eee. Ent.

Go through stockists rather than traditional newsstands. I have put blinders on the idea that distributors take 20% of your cover price, and retailers keep another 40%. Plus, once it’s off the newsstand, the issue is sent to the crematory. “I don’t want to see my babies destroyed,” he said. Neither do I!!

He asks his subjects for photographer suggestions. Since this is an international title, it makes sense that you wouldn’t have a robust global network, especially at first. Could still apply to a regional magazine.

He also, somewhere in there, mentioned that he found people much like I’ve been finding people: Twitter, clicking links, reaching out. That’s encouraging, too. 🙂

And here’s a more recent talk, just as open and interesting as before.

Offscreen is donating $10 of all single issue purchases to help refugees in Europe, hopefully through the rest of the day (it’s already Thursday in Melbourne, oops).

Kai! You’re an inspiration! Keep doing what you do, and I intend to join your print club soon.

{ Also }

ReadingSiddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Rebecca Solnit on not having children, in the latest Harper’s